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Bill,
Until we simplified our documentation, I used to work with a set of manuals
that contained hundreds of linked files, text and pictures. Worked like a
charm. You can even put bookmarks in the source file and link in only a
bookmarked piece of the overall file. However, be sure that you use the
INCLUDETEXT link (File or Picture from the Insert menu.) If you use the LINK
field, you are setting yourself up for disaster.
When you use INCLUDE, if the location of your source files or even their
names needs to change, you can turn on field codes (Tools, Options, View,
Field Codes), search and replace the path or filenames, and you are
connected again. If you use LINK, search and replace does not work. After
Replace, the link is non-functional. The only way I ever found to change
LINKed path or file name is to delete the current link and remake it - a
thought not to be borne when you have hundreds of links.
Also, LINK does not recognize locally mapped drives. It uses as its path the
underlying network structure. So if you map H to the DOCUMENTS directory on
WORK, the LINK path is not H:\blah\blah.DOC; it is
WORK\DOCUMENTS\blah\blah.DOC. This little peculiarity is death if a group of
writers works with the DOCS and each uses a different work area that is
mapped as the same virtual area.
BTW, INCLUDETEXT is not OLE. LINK is OLE. Perhaps someone who knows more
about OLE could make LINK more flexible.
Whether you INCLUDE or LINK, the page-break issue is real. It is the reason
that links must either be kept short or be carefully formatted so that they
will fit in the target document.
Barbara Hyde
barb -dot- hyde -at- ndcorp -dot- com
---------------------------------------------------------------------
-----Original Message-----
Subject: Word's "Insert/File, link to file" safe?
From: Bill <billross -at- nombas -dot- com>
Date: Mon, 06 Mar 2000 12:15:46 -0500
X-Message-Number: 14
Folks,
Has anyone worked with Word's insert-a-linked-file =93function=94?
(This may or may not be OLE; you rearrange the links with the
EDIT/Links command.) Can it be trusted? I'm working with a
manual I inherited in the form of 15 chapter files, which would be
nice to preserve in that structure since it contains some sections
shared with other manuals.
<snip>
